6 Simple Actions to Take TODAY Toward a Healthier You: Number Four

I sit here writing again from my husband's hospital room.  After his heart catheterization showed no blockages requiring intervention, he is now here under observation while the doctor's try a new medication to keep his heart in rhythm.  One thing this confirms for us is that all of Jamison's hard work in cardiac rehab and with his diet changes is paying off!  I know that if it making simple changes can help my husband improve his health, it can work for you, too.

So far we've talked about meal planning, increasing you daily movement and drinking more water.  My fourth idea for you of a something you can do TODAY is eat fresh fruit.  I'm constantly asking my family - have you eaten any fruit today?  For me, I try to eat fresh fruit with every meal.

Homemade Pineapple Salsa to serve with

Barbecue Pulled Pork

What are the benefits that I've found from eating fruit everyday?

1. There are numerous health benefits to every kind of fruit.  For example bananas and cantaloupe are good sources of potassium.  Blackberries and apples are high in fiber.  Fruit is good for your overall general health, but specific fruits have been found to have specific benefits towards specific diseases.

2. Fruits are naturally sweet which helps curb any craving that you're having for something sweetened by sugar or an artificial sweetener.  Exchange your daily afternoon candy bar with an apple or a banana!

Celebrating my staff's success with fruit instead of

sweets such as cookies or donuts.

3. There are so many different types of fruit that there is always something new to try - plumcots, stair fruit, dragon fruit, rambutan, kumquat . . . the list goes on and on and on.  There are also plenty of new recipes to try that include fruit.   I love trying new things, especially food! 

Apple Nachos with Cashew Butter and Chocolate Chips

I have found that the key to increasing the amount of fruit that I'm eating is to make it easily accessible.

• Keeping a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter.
• Cutting up fruit and placing it in baggies or containers that I just grab out of the fridge.
• Carrying fruit with me (You can always find an apple, pear or orange in my purse!).

Making healthy choices doesn't have to be hard or complicated.  Even the simplest action - like eating some strawberries or a plum - can have benefits to your health.  Give it a try!

Fruity (and Healthy!) Puns for Staff Appreciation

I supervise a group of 12-15 Program Assistants who help me care for a group of frail elderly in an Adult Day Health Center setting.  I enjoy finding creative, inexpensive ways to thank, encourage and motivate them.  It is so easy to do!  Forums like Pinterest and Facebook place an endless number of puns for things like donuts and candy bars at my fingertips.  My staff love to find little treats and notes in their mailboxes or at the Day Center work station.

Over the past few years, I have begun to take a close look at how I can live a healthier life.  By examining myself I became keenly aware that many of my staff were struggling with health issues such as obesity, out-of-control diabetes, high blood pressure and extreme stress.  What kind of support and example was I being by constantly giving them candy bars, donuts, cookies and cans of pop – regardless of how cute the sayings or signss were that went along with them?

I began creating healthier treats to let my staff know how much I appreciate them.  They love them just as much and several have commented that they appreciate my attention to their health.  Here are some examples of fruit themed puns that I’ve used.

1    I’m so GRAPEful for my Team!  Place a bowl of grapes in the Break Room or at the staff work station.

2   Thanks for the GRAPE job you did on the ______ project!  A note with a bag of grapes for an individual staff member.

3   We’re a fantastic BUNCH!  Hang up a sign and put a banana in everyone’s mailbox.

4   We’d go BANANAS without you!  A fun pun to use with a banana or banana muffin for a single staff member.

5   Our Team is one in a MELON! Set out a tray of melon slices.

6   You are appreciated BERRY much!  This can be used with fresh berries or berry muffins.

7   ORANGE you glad you work for ________?  I am! Oranges in mailboxes or set out a bowl of oranges.

8   It’s NACHOS one person, it’s our whole Team that makes this a great Center!  I used this one with a plate of apple nachos (apple slices drizzled with melted peanut butter and chocolate chips).

Creating healthy staff appreciation puns is easy, fun and inexpensive (another key point as the funds for these come out of my own pocket).  I still bring in donut holes and mini candy bars every once in a while because those things in moderation are ok, but hopefully my focus on health will have a positive impact on my staff – both on and off the job.

Can you think of any other healthy fun puns using fruit?  Share your ideas in the comments.  I'd love to hear them and use them!

Do you have a Lenita?

Yesterday as I walking from my office to the copier, I passed our Activities Coordinator who was handing out plates of crisp nachos with a side yummy cheese sauce to our participants (I work in an Adult Day Center for people with dementia.). 

She held a plate out to me. "Hey Lisa, do you want one?"

I shifted the papers I was carrying and extended my hand, "Sure!"

"LISA?"

A stern yet playful voice came from behind me.  I spun around and there stood my co-worker Lenita.  I hadn't noticed that she was in the room. 

"What do you think your doing?"  Her stern yet playful voice asked.

I paused for a moment looking Lenita directly in her eyes.  I turned my head and looked at the plate piled high with delicious crunchy chips and ooey gooey cheese sauce dripping from them.  Slowly, I turned back to Lenita - head tilted, looking at me through her long batting eye lashes and face glowing with one of her encouraging smiles.

Without turning back around I said, "You know what?  I'm going to have to pass, but thanks for the offer!"  Before the words were fully out of my mouth, I threw my arms around Lenita's neck in a hug of gratitude.

You see, Lenita plays an important role in my work day.  She holds me accountable on my healthy living journey, specifically on my work day snacking.  I never specifically asked her to play that role.  We just connected on that topic as both of us strive to make healthy choices and she naturally became my Miss Accountability. 

I'm lucky because she works in our Physical Therapy gym which just happens to be between my Day Center and the Employee Lounge.  So if there is cake in the break room, I have to walk past Lenita to get a piece.  There have been times when I'm headed for the vending machine and Lenita doesn't even see me walking by, but I see her!  Just seeing her is enough to make me turn around and head back to my office and my lunch bag filled with healthy snack options.   

Lenita is playfully stern and honest.  She is never mean or downgrading.  She is encouraging and uplifting.  When I get passed her and she catches me eating a piece cake, she doesn't make me feel bad because there are times that she'll go for the cake, too!  Instead she talks about how we'll do better next time.  And we always do!  I so appreciate the important role that Lenita plays in my life.  She keeps me moving in the right direction. 

Do you have a Lenita?  If not, take a moment to think of the people in your workplace.  Is there someone who shares your interest in making healthy choices?  Is there someone in the lunch room who is munching on fresh veggies and fruit rather than chips and pizza?  Lenita and I never specifically talked about her holding me accountable, but you may need to ask someone to help hold you accountable. 

Another way to find your Lenita is to be a Lenita for someone else.  It is often easy to spot those who are trying to being healthy and struggling a little bit.  For a week they are packing healthy lunches and then the next are back to hitting the drive-thru every day.  They talk about their walks after work and then don't mention exercise at all.  You know who I am talking about!  Comment on their good choices.  Ask them to go for a walk with you over lunch or after work.  You will find yourself being lifted up by your actions of lifting them up.  Pretty soon, they will return the favor.



 

After I walked away from those chips yesterday, I returned to my office and grabbed an orange from my lunch bag.  I took my time peeling it and popping each juicy sweet piece into my mouth.  It tasted SO good and I felt SO good about the choice I had made to eat it . . . thanks to Lenita!
 

Such a Simple Task - Why Don't I Do It More Often???

Three words. 

Cut up fruit.

Such a simple task.  It literally takes seconds to cut up an apple.  Not much longer to rinse off a handful of cherries and put them in a baggie.  Minutes to slice a watermelon or cantaloupe. 

So why don't I do it more often? 

When I am packing my lunch in the morning, I'm always in a rush.  So I end up grabbing my pre-packaged cheese crackers and my low-fat yogurt.  (Today I actually grabbed the entire pound-size bag of pretzels and stuck it in my purse!)  Meanwhile, the fruit I bought with good intentions sits and rots on my counter or in my fridge.

Tonight I put my good intentions into action.  I washed the delicious looking bright-red cherries I bought and put them in several small baggies.  I sliced the watermelon I bought and prepared a container for me to put in my lunch leaving the rest for my family to inhale tomorrow.  I set out a washed Pink Lady Apple along with the apple slicer and a baggie so the apple is ready to be cut at the last minute tomorrow morning.

It's a tip I hear all the time - prep your food ahead of time so that you can grab the healthier snacks just as easily as the pre-packaged ones.  It makes perfect sense and it is so easy!  I hope that my action steps tonight lead to successful snacking tomorrow which will lead to future nights of fruit prepping!

Happy Snacking!